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Bajrang Punia became the first Indian to win four medals at the World Wrestling Championships when he won bronze in the current edition on Sunday.
In one of the bronze medal bouts in the 65 kg category, Bajrang, who won bronze in Tokyo last year, eked out a close 11-9 win on points over Sebastian C Rivera of Puerto Rico.
Bajrang, who lost in the quarterfinals to John Michael Diakomihalis of the United States, advanced to the bronze medal match via the repechage round, where he defeated Vazgen Tevanyan of Armenia 7-6 by points.
It is Bajrang’s third bronze medal at the World Championships. The renowned Indian wrestler previously won bronze in 2013, silver in 2018, and bronze in 2019.
India fielded a 30-member team for the ongoing World Championships but performed poorly, winning only two medals.
Ravi Kumar Dahiya, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, had crashed out early and failed to finish on the podium.
In addition to Bajrang, Vinesh Phogat won her second World Championship bronze medal in the women’s 53kg weight class. Vinesh won the bronze medal after defeating Emma Malmgren of Sweden 8-0.
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